Hank Lawson's Revelations
by LovelyLene
Summary: Hank receives a special gift, which appears to be quite divine. However, Hank is not amused and considers it a curse, as his life is turned upside down because of it. Will he be able to accept this gift and fulfill his destiny? Check profile for a note.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Hank Lawson's Revelations  
**Author:** LovelyLène  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything, except for the storyline (even if it's inspired by other existing television shows). Beth Sullivan owns the characters of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. I'm just taking them out to play…  
**Rating:** Can't really tell yet. Right now I'd say PG-13, but it could become R or even M-rated in further chapters.  
**Warnings:** My take on religion. It's not my intention to offend anyone. It may sound a little familiar to some people, so I confess: Yes, I got inspired by watching "Eli Stone" and the 4th season of "Supernatural".  
**Language warning: **English is not my native language, so if there are spelling or grammar mistakes… I'm sorry! I'm looking for a beta reader; so if someone would like to have that job, please let me know.  
**Author's note: **This just came to mind. Couldn't really help it. I apologize in advance if this story isn't updated frequently, because my own book is still my main priority. However, my Dr. Quinn fanfiction muse doesn't seem to shut up, so I decided to give in to it…  
**Genre:** Drama / Humor / Supernatural. Well, so far anyway. I have no idea how the story will develop.  
**Summary: **Hank receives a special gift, which appears to be quite divine. However, Hank is far from pleased with it and considers it a curse, as his life is turned upside down because of it. Will he eventually be able to cope? Will he be able to accept this gift, give in to it and fulfill his divine destiny?

**Chapter 1**

_Darkness… Nothingness… Emptiness…_

_Where was everyone? Where were his neighbors? Where were the other townspeople?_

_Where was the town?_

_Hank looked around and a strange feeling began to rise within him. His heart started to beat faster and faster. He could almost hear the blood running through his veins._

_He looked around and saw… nothing. Absolutely nothing. He stood on a barren plain, which seemed never-ending, stretching beyond the horizon. There were no trees, no bushes, no houses, not even the slightest bit of evidence of any kind of life. No tracks, no footprints..._

_No sound…_

_It was silent. Dead silent. Not even the sound of the wind or the warbling of birds._

_Silence. Devastating silence._

_It's what worried him most of all._

"_Is there anyone out there?" he yelled, on top of his lungs, but as the sound came out of his throat it immediately seemed to lose its volume and died out almost instantly._

"_Anyone?" he tried once more, unfortunately with the same effect._

_He turned around and searched the surface for anything that could lead him to anyone or anyplace. Anyplace but here…_

_He found nothing._

_Nothing…_

_Then he started running._

_He ran, as fast as he could. He wanted to get away. He needed to get away._

_There were ominous dark clouds gathering overhead. Dark red clouds. It almost looked like the sky was on fire._

_He tried to run faster, but for some reason it felt like he was slowing down. No matter what he did, whatever he tried, he was slowing down. Eventually he came to a halt and the world spun in front of him. The world spun and he closed his eyes to avoid the dizziness that was starting to overtake him. He stood like that for a few seconds, waiting for… waiting for what?_

_Heat…_

_He felt it. He was standing close to something very warm. No, it wasn't something warm. It was something insanely hot!_

_His eyes shot open and as he did so his other senses kicked back in. He heard the whooshing sound of flames and the agonizing screams of people trapped._

_His eyes went wide when he took in the scene in front of him._

_Fire…_

_His town was on fire._

_Colorado Springs was burning along with its citizens._

_He heard the screams of people he knew, but he couldn't see them. He couldn't reach them. The fire was all around. All around him. All around Colorado Springs. There was no way out. Nowhere to run._

_He screamed as the flames swallowed him whole…_

_TBC_


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Hank Lawson's Revelations  
**Author:** LovelyLène  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything, except for the storyline. Beth Sullivan owns the characters of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. I'm just taking them out to play…  
**Rating:** PG-13 / T so far.  
**Warnings:** My take on religion. It's not my intention to offend anyone. It may sound a little familiar to some people, so I confess: Yes, I got inspired by watching "Eli Stone" and the 4th season of "Supernatural".  
**Genre:** Drama / Humor / Supernatural.  
**Summary: **Hank receives a special gift, which appears to be quite divine. However, Hank is far from pleased with it and considers it a curse, as his life is turned upside down because of it. Will he eventually be able to cope? Will he be able to accept this gift, give in to it and fulfill his divine destiny?

**Chapter 2**

Hank sat down at the kitchen table and placed his cup of coffee in front of him. He sighed deeply as he rubbed his temples and he briefly closed his eyes. He was tired, dead tired, and not because of what he did during the day.

His job wasn't tiresome, nor were his customers or anything else for that matter. His life wasn't stressful, he didn't have any worries at all, in fact, he thought his life was actually pretty good at the moment.

But then, why? Where did all the trouble come from he had to deal with at night? Where did the nightmares come from? These horrible nightmares…

Night after night his good night sleep was being disturbed by frightening dreams. Dreams that seemed so real he sometimes wondered in his sleep whether he was really dreaming.

He had seen the most horrifying things in his dreams. He had seen people die the most painful deaths. Deaths of people he knew; people he cared for. He had also seen himself die. He had seen himself burn.

_Fire…_

There was always fire. In every nightmare there had been fire. He wondered why. Usually dreams meant something. Dreams, or rather nightmares, confronted people with their biggest fears or worries. Did this mean he was afraid of fire? Was he afraid his business was going to burn? Or was he worried he would lose the few friends he had in this town?

He wasn't the worrying type, though, and he wasn't afraid of fire either. He also wasn't afraid to die. So why did he have those dreams? More importantly, how was he going to get rid of them? They were starting to affect his everyday life, not to mention his mood.

He was more grumpy than usual and his already pretty nasty temper had only gotten nastier the past few days. He yelled more often and his fist had connected with considerably more jaws than it usually did in the same period of time.

He sighed again and took a sip from his coffee.

"Rough night?"

Hank slowly looked up as he heard a female voice coming from a few feet away from him. He smiled briefly when he noticed one of his favorite girls standing in the doorway.

"Yeah," was all he said. He was too tired to say anything else. Normally he would have told her to mind her own business, but he just didn't have the strength to make a fuss.

"I heard you scream," the woman said after a brief silence. She sounded hesitant, not certain whether she should mention it.

Hank looked at her sternly for a moment. He clenched his jaw and his eyes looked cold. Then he shook his head and drank the rest of his coffee.

"Sorry it woke ya up, Suzie," he said casually as he put the now empty cup back on the table.

"Maybe, you should talk to someone about it," she said softly.

The cold stern immediately returned to Hank's face.

"Mind yer own business," he said through his teeth. She was definitely pushing her luck. Just because he was tired didn't mean people could suddenly tell him what to do.

His warning didn't seem to scare her though. She leaned against the doorpost and folded her arms across her chest. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders and contrasted beautifully with her pale skin.

"Look, I'm not looking for trouble, Hank," she answered and a soft smile appeared on her face. "But we're all suffering here. I don't know what's going on with you, what's worrying you, and honestly, I don't care. But you need to do something about it or…"

"Or what?" he nearly screamed at her.

She didn't move a muscle, however, her smile disappeared instantly from her beautiful face. Her piercing, steel blue eyes looked at him with compassion and Hank couldn't help but to look away. He hated that stare. He hated her eyes.

No, that wasn't true. He loved her eyes. Those stunning blue eyes that seemed to be able to look into the very depths of one's soul. It had been the main reason he had offered her a contract. Those eyes meant money. How many men would drown in these eyes and give her everything she asked for? However, she never wanted a contract.

"_But I'll work for you anyway," _she had said with a stunning smile and, like Emma had done years before, she had also gone with him willingly.

"Or people will leave," she answered calmly. "The girls will leave, your customers will leave. You're scaring people off, Hank. You're scaring them off a lot more than usual and that will have consequences if you won't do anything about it."

"Are you threatening me?" he shot back at her. He suddenly felt eager to fight someone. Verbally of physically, it didn't matter. Who the hell was she to tell him what to do?

"You should know better than that, Hank," she said as a smile reappeared on her face. However, it wasn't a happy smile this time. "I don't want to leave…"

Then she turned around and left, leaving the barkeep alone with his troubling mind.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Hank Lawson's Revelations  
**Author:** LovelyLène  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything, except for the storyline. Beth Sullivan owns the characters of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. I'm just taking them out to play…  
**Rating:** PG-13 / T so far.  
**Warnings:** My take on religion. It's not my intention to offend anyone. It may sound a little familiar to some people, so I confess: Yes, I got inspired by watching "Eli Stone" and the 4th season of "Supernatural".  
**Genre:** Drama / Humor / Supernatural.  
**Summary: **Hank receives a special gift, which appears to be quite divine. However, Hank is far from pleased with it and considers it a curse, as his life is turned upside down because of it. Will he eventually be able to cope? Will he be able to accept this gift, give in to it and fulfill his divine destiny?

**Chapter 3**

"Katie! Will you come inside? Supper is ready!" Michaela called to her daughter who was playing outside with her two favorite dolls.

"I'm coming, mommy!" the little girl called back to her mother, who smiled lovingly at her.

Michaela headed back inside to set the table. Supper wasn't completely ready yet, but she knew it would be when Katie would finally come inside. She knew all too well her little girl had to finish the story she was telling to her dolls, or whatever it was she was doing. Why was it that none of her children ever immediately did what they were told? Why did it always take a few minutes longer?

She smiled softly to herself. She had been exactly the same when she was a child. She never listened to her mother either. Well, not right away, anyway. She loved to play outside with imaginary friends and then she would create a whole story, a play, in which she was the star. And of course, the play had to be finished before she could do whatever her mother wanted her to do.

Katie appeared to be no different. She was definitely a daughter of Michaela Quinn. Stubborn and strong, creative and energetic. God bless the man who ends up with her, Michaela thought. _He'll get more than he bargained for._

Fortunately, Katie was only six years old at the moment, so it would probably take a while before a man would ask for her hand. The only man having the right to hold her hand at this moment was her father, Byron Sully, who would definitely try to scare off every young man who would show interest in his daughter, when the time comes.

"That smells good," Michaela heard her husband say.

"Sully!" she said with a happy smile on her face. "I didn't hear you come in. How was your day?"

"It was okay," Sully answered as he moved closer to his wife to kiss her on the cheek. "I think we finally made some progress. With a little luck, the Cheyenne can keep at least half of their land."

"That's great, Sully," Michaela answered, however, her husband didn't seem too happy.

"What's wrong?" she asked him. "That's great news, right?"

Sully nodded but then shrugged.

"It's just… It's Cheyenne land! It's theirs! They shouldn't lose any of it in the first place!"

He sounded angry, which was quite understandable.

"I know," Michaela answered. "But you can't do anything about that. The only thing you can do, as an Indian agent, is to let them keep as much of it as they can. Without you, they would probably have lost it all already."

"I know," Sully said and then sat down on a chair at the diner table. "It's just such a frustrating job sometimes. The things they come up with in Washington can make me so angry sometimes. We're dealing with people here, not animals! It's just…"

He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he sighed deeply and he lowered his head for a brief moment.

"Why did I take this job again?" he asked when he looked up at his wife once more.

Michaela smiled.

"Because you're a good man," she answered.

"If you say so…" Sully said as a smile finally appeared on his face.

"Where's Brian?" he asked.

"Having diner at a friend's place," Michaela replied.

"Oh, that's nice," Sully said.

"A _lady_ friend's place," Michaela said as she stressed the word 'lady'.

Sully raised an eyebrow and then let out a chuckle.

"That's _really_ nice," he said with a grin. Michaela laughed.

"Yes it is," she agreed. "Now go get your daughter, Supper is _really _ready now."

Sully stood up from his chair and headed outside to get his little girl. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. Her long curly hair fell playfully around her face and shoulders, while her blue eyes lit up the moment she saw her father.

"Daddy!" she called out in excitement. She ran towards him, leaving her dolls behind in the long grass she had been playing in.

"Hey darling," Sully called to her and caught her as she threw herself into his strong arms.

"I'm glad you're home, daddy," she said and placed a kiss on Sully's cheek.

"Me too, sweetheart," he answered. "Me too…"

He kissed his daughter on the forehead and then carried her inside.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

From behind a big, old tree two tall figures watched the scene in front of them. The little girl, with the dark blond, curly hair running towards her loving father. The two figures looked at each other, their eyes dark and emotionless, like they hadn't seen the unconditional love between a father and his daughter.

"Are you certain it's her?" one said to the other, his voice cold and just as emotionless as the look in his eyes.

"Not completely certain," the slightly taller one answered. He looked back at the homestead where the little girl had been carried into.

"We need to be certain," the smaller one said as he slid his hands into the pockets of his black clothes.

"I know…" the other one stated, never taking his eyes of the little home in front of him.

"We can just…" the smaller figure started, but he was brutally interrupted by his companion.

"No! We have to wait until further orders. We can't afford making mistakes." His voice sounded angry for one very brief moment, but the coldness almost instantly returned. Just for a second his eyes lit up in what seemed to be anger, but then they were expressionless again, the dark eyes contrasting heavily with his too pale face.

"So, what do we do?" the other one asked, without showing a single bit of emotion, not even for a tiny second, like his companion had just done a minute before. The taller figure turned away from the homestead looking coldly into the other one's eyes.

"We wait…"

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Hank Lawson's Revelations  
**Author:** LovelyLène  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything, except for the storyline. Beth Sullivan owns the characters of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. I'm just taking them out to play…  
**Rating:** PG-13 / T so far.  
**Warnings:** My take on religion. It's not my intention to offend anyone. It may sound a little familiar to some people, so I confess: Yes, I got inspired by watching "Eli Stone" and the 4th season of "Supernatural".  
**Genre:** Drama / Humor / Supernatural.  
**Summary: **Hank receives a special gift, which appears to be quite divine. However, Hank is far from pleased with it and considers it a curse, as his life is turned upside down because of it. Will he eventually be able to cope? Will he be able to accept this gift, give in to it and fulfill his divine destiny?

**Chapter 4**

Hank sat quietly at a table at Grace's Café. He stared at his coffee, while his hands were folded around the warm cup. He thought about his dreams, his nightmares that were slowly driving him insane. The dreams about people dying, about Colorado Springs burning, about hell on earth.

Why was he having these dreams? Why were these nightmares disturbing his peaceful sleep every night? He couldn't explain it and that's why he figured he was going crazy.

"Good morning, Hank," he heard a female voice say. He was so lost in his thoughts that he barely heard it. He looked up briefly, only to be met by Michaela Quinn's gentle stare.

"Morning, Michaela," he answered as he finally took a sip from his coffee. He tried to look casual, indifferent, like he always did, but he feared he was failing miserably this time. The effects of the extreme lack of good sleep should be quite evident on his face and should be impossible not to notice by a doctor.

He was right…

"Are you okay, Hank?" Michaela asked. The worried sound in her voice almost made Hank throw up. He didn't want anyone's pity, and definitely not hers.

"I'm fine, thanks," he answered and then shrugged, like he didn't know what the lady doctor was talking about.

"You don't look fine, Hank," Michaela said and gave him a penetrating, yet gentle look.

"Rough night," he said as he took another sip. Michaela just nodded. She understood perfectly that Hank wasn't going to tell her anything, especially not with other people watching and listening in on them.

"Well, if you change your mind," she said, "you could stop by the clinic this afternoon."

"I said I'm fine, lady!" Hank raised his voice. His eyes looked angrily at the woman in front of him. "Just mind yer own business…"

The last sentence was barely audible to most people, but Michaela heard it. She heard every word as well as the immense tiredness in them. Hank was far from fine, no matter what he said.

She decided not to make a scene, though, and headed towards the table Sully was at and sat down next to him.

"What was that about?" he asked his wife.

Michaela shrugged. "I don't know," she answered, "but I tend to find out."

Sully smiled at her. "Just be careful, okay. Don't push him."

Michaela raised an eyebrow at him as he said the last few words. "Are you saying I'm pushy?" she asked in a demanding voice.

Sully chuckled, as he knew he had hit a sensitive spot. "You can be sometimes," he answered with a smile.

"I'm not!" Michaela almost sounded offended. Sully just continued to grin at her and within seconds she smiled back at him, knowing too well he was right.

"I know I can be pushy sometimes," she admitted. "I'll try to be… less pushy…"

Sully laughed at her last words, causing Michaela to laugh as well.

"So what are you going to do," Sully asked eventually.

"I'm not sure," she said as she shook her head briefly. "I could talk to some of his girls, but I doubt they'll say anything. Maybe Loren and Jake know something."

Sully nodded and hesitated before asking:

"Why? Why do you care?"

"I'm a doctor Sully," Michaela said, as if it was the most obvious explanation in the world. "I care about people's wellbeing. Just look at him. I don't think I've ever seen him look this bad."

Sully watched the man in question and nodded again. He wasn't a doctor, but he could definitely see the change in the man. Something was wrong. Something was troubling him and he was certain his wife would find out what it was. After all, she was Michaela Quinn, the pushy lady doctor from Boston, who always got what she wanted.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Just a couple of miles away, deep down in the woods, two figures stood opposite each other. Their faces showed no motion, yet the beauty of their faces was undeniable. Their eyes were light, as were their clothes and from a distance they almost seemed to glow.

"Maybe we should tell him," one of them said.

"No, not yet," the other one answered. "Give him the chance to find out on his own."

"How can he possibly find out on his own?" the first one protested. "He's not a religious man. He doesn't believe in any of this. I don't understand why he was chosen."

"Are you questioning Him?" the second one asked. There was no emotion in his voice, or in his eyes.

"No, of course not," the other one answered, his voice as indifferent and monotonous as that of his companion. "I just have trouble understanding this. I'm sure He has a good reason. I just don't see it yet."

His companion smiled at him. It was a slightly gentle smile, yet emotionless at the same time. His face was blank, his eyes almost icy. His voice however was warm and calm as he said:

"Have faith. Just have faith…"

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Hank Lawson's Revelations  
**Author:** LovelyLène  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything, except for the storyline. Beth Sullivan owns the characters of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. I'm just taking them out to play  
**Rating:** PG-13 / T so far.  
**Warnings:** My take on religion. It's not my intention to offend anyone. It may sound a little familiar to some people, so I confess: Yes, I got inspired by watching "Eli Stone" and the 4th season of "Supernatural".  
**Genre:** Drama / Humor / Supernatural.  
**Summary: **Hank receives a special gift, which appears to be quite divine. However, Hank is far from pleased with it and considers it a curse, as his life is turned upside down because of it. Will he eventually be able to cope? Will he be able to accept this gift, give in to it and fulfill his divine destiny?

**Chapter 5**

_Colorado springs burned. Again… Colorado Springs burned and nothing was spared. Every building was on fire, every tree, and every wagon. People screamed as they tried to run away from the flames, but to no avail. They screamed for help, called out the names of their loved ones while they desperately tried to find a way out of the burning town._

_Hank just stood there and watched. He watched how the flames locked his friends in and swallowed them whole. He watched how his neighbors desperately tried to bring their children into safety but failed miserably. He just looked at the sight in front of him. Hell on earth. All that was missing was the Devil…_

_Maybe he was the Devil in this part. He didn't do anything to help the people around him; didn't do anything to help the town. He just watched._

_He wanted to help though, but something deep down inside of him told him not to. He wasn't there to help the town. He wasn't there to help everyone else. He was there for one thing and one thing only. He just didn't know what for. So he kept watching, kept looking at the horrifying event taking place before him, until…_

_There she was. He hadn't seen her coming. He had only blinked once and there she was. Out of nowhere. She stood before him, only a few feet away from him and she looked at him with a frightened look on her face. _

"_Help me," she nearly whispered as tears fell from her big, blue eyes. "Please, help me!"_

_Hank looked at her, but said nothing. He stood frozen to the ground as he took in her petite frame. It took a moment for him to truly realize what he was seeing. The little girl stood before him, barefoot, in a puddle of… blood?_

_She was bleeding. Blood trickled down her arms and legs, soaking her once white dress, turning it into a strange shade between pink and red._

"_Help me," the little girl begged once more, desperation evident in her voice._

_Hank swallowed. He had never felt more helpless in his life._

"_I… I don't know how…" he whispered regretfully._

_Tears kept falling from her eyes and fell down onto the ground where they mingled with her blood. For a brief moment she smiled. She smiled at Hank through her tears. Then she opened her mouth and screamed._

_The scream was loud and long and was the most desperate one Hank had ever heard. His blood ran cold at the deafening sound, but he refused to cover up his ears. He kept looking at the young girl, his eyes filled with sorrow and regret. He watched in horror when the puddle of blood suddenly caught fire and the flames reached around the girl's small frame. With a big, loud explosion the girl disappeared from his sight…_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hank awoke with a start. He sat up immediately and breathed heavily while he tried to recognize his surroundings. He was in his own room, on his own bed.

_Where was I? I… I was at Grace's. Then I went home to get some rest. I must have fallen asleep again…_

He groaned and rubbed his face.

"This has got to stop," he said to himself.

The dreams were truly driving him insane. Every night, no, every _time_ he went to sleep the dreams were there. The nightmares… He hated them. He didn't understand them. He didn't understand the reason why he had them. They were also so powerful that they completely drained him. He was more tired after he had slept than before he went to bed.

He stood up from his bed and walked towards the window. He looked at his watch and saw that it was just after lunchtime, which explained the rumbling he felt in his stomach. He went downstairs and made himself a sandwich. Then he grabbed his coat and a riffle and headed outside.

"Where are you going?" he heard Suzie ask. The sound of her voice was like music to his ears, however, this was not the time to pay attention to it. He needed to get away.

"Hunting," Hank lied. He didn't even look at her. He didn't want to meet her eyes. _Those eyes… Damn those eyes…_

"Hunting?" Suzie asked incredulously. "Hank, it's Saturday! It's the busiest day of the week at the Saloon. You can't just leave!"

"You take care of it," he answered, still not looking at her. He mounted up his horse and rode off, leaving a stunned Suzie behind.

"I need to be alone for a while," he said to himself. _Need to clear my head or I'll go crazy._

He thought back to his latest dream and he briefly closed his eyes as the painful images flowed back to his mind. The fire, his desperate friends and neighbors. The horrifying screams from people trapped… from people burning…

He thought of the little girl in the once white dress, standing in a puddle of her own blood. The little girl with the big blue eyes, who had begged him to help her. The little girl who had desperately screamed out her pain and fear when the fire consumed her. The little girl he had recognized as Katie Sully…

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Hank Lawson's Revelations  
**Author:** LovelyLène  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything, except for the storyline. Beth Sullivan owns the characters of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. I'm just taking them out to play…  
**Rating:** PG-13 / T so far.  
**Warnings:** My take on religion. It's not my intention to offend anyone. It may sound a little familiar to some people, so I confess: Yes, I got inspired by watching "Eli Stone" and the 4th season of "Supernatural".  
**Genre:** Drama / Humor / Supernatural.  
**Author's Note: **Yes, an update! Finally! However, still don't expect them to come regularly. I'm still busy with work, writing a real book, etc. and then there are still some personal issues I'm dealing with. I'm not sure people are still interested in this story. I can totally understand it if they're not. I usually lose interest in a story as well, if it's not frequently updated. Do know, that I intend to finish this story, no matter what. I hate unfinished stories myself and I feel really bad, that I have two stories here on that are still unfinished. So, for those still interested: here's a new chapter! Don't know when the next one will be up, but do know that I will not totally abandon this story. It may take a while, but I will bring it to an end, lol!  
**Summary: **Hank receives a special gift, which appears to be quite divine. However, Hank is far from pleased with it and considers it a curse, as his life is turned upside down because of it. Will he eventually be able to cope? Will he be able to accept this gift, give in to it and fulfill his divine destiny?

**Chapter 6**

It was a busy Saturday night at the saloon. One of the busiest Suzie had ever experienced. _Why now?_ She couldn't help but wonder. Of all Saturdays, why this one? Why this day, the day that Hank left without explaining anything, leaving her in charge of the whole place. She cursed inwardly.

_Damn him! _

She poured some glasses of whiskey some guy ordered and handed them to the man in question with a sensual smile. The man smiled back at her and paid her generously.

"Keep the change, beautiful," he said as he gave her a wink.

"Well, thank you, handsome," she said as sweetly as she could. She smiled once more and allowed the man one last gaze into her astonishing blue eyes. Then she turned away from him, moving on to the next customer waiting for a drink.

"Bunch of creeps," she murmured under her breath. "Why was I doing this again? Oh yeah, for the greater good… right…"

She shook her head and ignored the questioning looks some of the waiting customers were giving her. Thank God her eyes were miracle workers. They made her get away with pretty much anything.

"What can I get ya?" she asked the next man in line. He smiled wickedly at her and all Suzie could do was play her part and grin back at him.

_Suzannah…_

Immediately her grin faded.

"Oh crap…" she cursed. The man in front of her eyed her questioningly.

"Everything alright?" he asked, his smile never fading. However, had his smile first been one full of lust, now his smile was an amusing one.

_Probably wondering whether I've gone insane…_ Suzie thought.

_Suzannah…_

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," she answered.

"Hear what, babe?" the man in front of her asked.

"The enormous echo in your thick head," Suzie murmured. Fortunately the comment didn't reach the man's ears. There was too much noise in the saloon for him to hear her insulting remark.

"I'm sorry, sir," she said and shot the man a flashy smile. "I'm needed somewhere else. Jake, can you take over for a few minutes?"

She looked pleadingly at the former barber who was silently enjoying his whiskey at the far end of the bar. Jake sighed deeply, visibly annoyed by the request.

"Just for a few minutes, Jake. I'll be right back," Suzie told him.

"Yeah, right," Jake whined. "And then you disappear into the night like Hank. God knows when he'll be back. What's up with him anyway?"

"I don't know, Jake," Suzie answered. "Hopefully we'll find out soon."

With that she wrapped her shawl around her and left the saloon.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It was dark outside, but it didn't really bother Suzie. She wasn't afraid of the dark. She wasn't afraid of anything really. Well, almost anything. She had already seen so many horrifying things in her existence, had been through so many terrifying things, that the only thing she still feared was fear itself. Sort of speak…

Right now, she really had no reason to be scared. She was safe, probably safer than anyone else on the planet. She knew who had called out her name. She had known even before her name was called. She had felt them. She would always feel them. She may not be one of them anymore, but somehow they'd always be connected. They would always sense each other; hear each other even if they didn't speak out loud.

_Suzannah…_

"Oh, knock it off, will ya?" she called out while looking up at the sky. "I heard ya the first time!"

She shook her head in annoyance while she continued to make her way towards the woods. She saw a soft white light coming from behind the first few lines of trees, which told her she was on the right track. She walked into the woods and moved to where the light was the brightest. Then the light faded and two men appeared , dressed in white suits.

"Hello Maion and Cassiel," Suzie said with a smile. "Long time no see."

"Suzannah," the taller one said to the petit woman in front of him. His face was free of any emotion whatsoever, as was the face of his companion.

"Where's Hank?" the smaller man asked.

"You guys get right to the point, don't you?" Suzie remarked. "No chit-chat like 'How are you doin'?' or anything like that. No wonder you guys always look like somebody died."

"You know very well we can't afford any kind of emotion," the taller man answered. "It clouds our judgement and prevents us from doing or jobs correctly."

"You know I disagree with that, Maion," Suzie told the man in question. "If you knew what people felt…"

Maion didn't let Suzie finish her sentence.

"This is not the time to discuss this matter, Suzannah. That's not why we're here. Where's Hank?"

Suzie looked incredulously at the two men in front of her.

"You've got to be kidding me!' she called out. "You lost him? You lost the most valuable person in this godforsaken matter? Jesus Christ…"

"Please, do not use His name in a disrespectful way," Cassiel requested and couldn't help but flinch at Suzie's last words. Then he regained his composure and stared emotionless at the woman in front of him.

"You lost him too," Maion accused.

"Yeah, well, I'm not the one with divine powers, so you can't really blame me, can ya?" Suzie shot back.

"We have to find him," Cassiel stated.

"Duh!" Suzie exclaimed. "And then what? Are we finally going to tell him what's going on or do you guys like screwing with his mind? I don't know what you're thinking or what you're hoping for, but this guy is not going to take the hint. He's not going to figure this out on his own, because he doesn't believe! You're only driving him insane!"

"He has to find out on his own," Maion said calmly, not disturbed by the young woman's rant. "That's the rule. We cannot interfere."

"Screw the rules!" Suzie shouted. "There's no time! Or do you want to wait until Hell freezes over? Oh wait… bad choice of words, huh?"

She smiled sarcastically when she said the last sentence. The two men remained silent. Suzie shrugged and then shook her head in defeat.

"Look, Moses was guided all the way through, right? Why can't we do the same for Hank?" She looked pleadingly at the two men before her. "And if you two can't, then at least let me do it. It's what I'm here for anyway. But we can't wait until realization finally strikes him. It will be too late and you know it."

Maion and Cassiel looked at each other and remained quiet for a while. Suzie figured they were inwardly discussing the matter with one another and after a few minutes they seemed to have come to an agreement.

"You have our permission," Maion said.

"Thank you," Suzie said softly and sighed in relief. "Now I have to find him first."

"No, you don't," Cassiel said. "He has returned. I can sense him nearby."

"Is he hurt?" Suzie asked a little worried.

"No, he is not," Maion answered. "You cannot leave him out of your sight again. If they find out about him…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Suzie murmured. "All Hell's gonna break loose. I get it. But you can help out anytime you want, you know. I'm kind of paranormally impaired, sort of speak."

Neither Maion nor Cassiel reacted to her little request for help. Bright light engulfed them and within seconds they had disappeared from Suzie's sight, leaving her alone again in the dark.

"Idiots," she said as she turned around to make her way out of the woods.

"At least Hank's back," she said to herself. "He's so going to get it!"

Angrily, yet relieved at the same time, she walked back to the saloon.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** Hank Lawson's Revelations

**Author:** LovelyLène

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything, except for the storyline. Beth Sullivan owns the characters of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. I'm just taking them out to play…

**Rating:** PG-13 / T so far.

**Warnings:** My take on religion. It's not my intention to offend anyone. It may sound a little familiar to some people, so I confess: Yes, I got inspired by watching "Eli Stone" and the 4th season of "Supernatural".

**Genre:** Drama / Humor / Supernatural.

**Summary: **Hank receives a special gift, which appears to be quite divine. However, Hank is far from pleased with it and considers it a curse, as his life is turned upside down because of it. Will he eventually be able to cope? Will he be able to accept this gift, give in to it and fulfill his divine destiny?

**Author's Note: **Yep, you're seeing it correctly: there's another update! Not sure why I'm putting a note in though; I'm pretty sure no one's reading this anymore. Still, I can't just leave this story unfinished. So, to whoever is still reading this: here's a late Christmas gift from me: a new chapter! And I promise, you won't have to wait another year for another update. Cross my heart… :-)

**Chapter 7**

"Where the hell have you been?" Suzie yelled when she entered the saloon and saw Hank sitting down at a table drinking some whiskey. There wasn't anyone else in the saloon anymore. Had she been gone that long? She couldn't remember. Time did go differently whenever divine powers were involved.

"What do you care?" Hank asked grumpily. He wasn't in the mood to argue and definitely not with her. He had been riding his horse all day, travelling through the woods, trying to clear his head. He had avoided every form of human contact and had searched for the most abandoned places in the woods. He had the feeling he was going insane and he didn't like it one bit. There was no explanation for it either. Business was going fine, he had nothing to worry about really. But still nightmares were torturing him, not only at night but also during the day, and he had no idea where they came from. He saw the most horrifying things in those dreams and he couldn't explain why on earth he would dream such a thing, over and over again.

"What do I care?" Suzie asked in disbelief. Was he really asking her that? The nerves of that man. She walked to the opposite of the table Hank sat at and put her hands on her hips while she watched him angrily.

"On the contrary of what you might think Hank," she said while her blue eyes were fixed on him. "I do care. We all care. You run off here, leaving me all alone to run the place… And yes, I know I'm capable of running it all by myself, but you usually give me a good reason. You run off half-cocked, like the devil is chasing you and you expect me not to worry? You could have ended up dead for all I know!"

"Sorry," Hank mumbled as he took another sip of his whiskey. He didn't look like he cared much about Suzie's little speech, which annoyed her even more.

"How's your headache?" she asked, not in a caring voice. She sounded more like she hoped he was still in severe pain, because it would serve him well.

"It's fine," he said with an annoyed sigh. He just wanted her to leave. Normally he would have yelled at her, telling her to mind her own business and get the hell out, but he couldn't find the strength this time.

"Yeah, the whiskey is probably helping a lot too," she said sarcastically as she bend over to snatch the glass from the table.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Hank asked in a low, dangerous voice. No woman dared to speak to him like that. Well, Michaela did, but she usually ended up paying for that. Suzie just shrugged and put the glass on the bar behind her. She wasn't impressed with Hank's dangerous tone of voice. She had heard it a million times before and it might scare most of Hank's girls, but not her. She wasn't afraid of him. She had seen and heard far scarier stuff than that to be afraid now.

"How well do you sleep at night, Hank?" she asked him and started to circle around him and the table. Her eyes never left him though. Hank eyed her venomously. He knew very well he woke up screaming sometimes because of his nightmares. So far, no one had ever mentioned it; no one had ever dared to mention it, except for Suzie.

"Aren't you getting tired of these nightmares, Hank?" she continued while she kept walking around him. "Don't you want them to stop? They must be driving you crazy. They're even worse during the day, aren't they?"

Hank shot up from his chair and grabbed her violently by her arm.

"Stop it!" he yelled at her. He pushed her hard against the wall and even though it must have hurt, Suzie didn't make a sound. Her eyes kept boring into his, like she was challenging him. And then it hit Hank. _She knew…_

He abruptly let her go and stared at het for a few seconds. He was dumbfounded. How could she know? He had done his very best to keep it all to himself. Except from him waking up screaming at night there were no clues whatsoever he had these nightmares, especially not during the day. But how did she know? She couldn't have known, unless…

"What did you do to me?" he asked through his teeth. He was fuming with anger. He always wondered why Suzie had agreed to work for him without a contract, but suddenly it became clear to him. She had been out to ruin him from the beginning. She wanted to hurt him; making him pay for something, maybe for everything he had ever done wrong in his life.

He jumped towards her again and grabbed her by the collar.

"What. Did. Ya. Do. To Me?" he asked as dangerously as she had ever heard him. She didn't even blink.

"I didn't do anything to you," she answered calmly. "But I know who did…"

"Who?" Hank fumed as he pushed her against the wall once more.

"Let me go and I'll tell you!" Suzie shouted back. She would never admit it but Hank was hurting her and she could already feel some bruises forming on her back.

"Tell me first, then I'll let you go," Hank threatened, but Suzie didn't give in to that. She chuckled softly, almost in an amused way and then shook her head.

"No," she answered sternly. "You're the one who wants to know. I'm not that eager to tell. And you can't hurt me. I know you Hank. You have a big mouth, especially when it comes to women, but when push comes to shove you're like a big teddy bear that wouldn't dare hurt his merchandise. Or any woman for that matter…"

Hank groaned in frustration, but he did let her go. He turned around for a moment and ran his hand through his long blonde hair. What the hell was up with this woman? How did she know all this? How could she see right through him with those big baby blue eyes that made his blood run cold?

_Damn those eyes… damn them to hell!_

He sighed and slowly turned back around to face her. He looked tired. He was tired. Tired of fighting. Tired of having to defend himself all the time. Tired of the nightmares.

"What do you know?" he asked softly as he sat down on a chair.

"You're not going to like it," she said softly and for the first time that evening there was compassion in her eyes.

"Yeah well, I'm not liking this either," Hank answered dryly. "Not liking the nightmares… and I hate not knowing why I have them, so… bring it on."

Suzie smiled briefly but then her face turned very serious. She looked like she really didn't want to tell what she was about to tell him. Like she was going to put the weight of the world on his shoulders. Whatever it was, he was certain it would shake up his world in more ways than one. He could feel it and it worried him more than anything had ever worried him. Did he really want to know? He asked himself. It wasn't too late to back out right? But then he'd never know. He was having these nightmares for a reason and Suzie apparently knew the reason and judging from the look on her face he wasn't going to like that reason at all.

"Well," she started and for a moment she looked nervous. Of course she was nervous. How are you going to tell a man who is anything but religious that his nightmares are divine? Hank would go ballistic, she was pretty sure of that.

"You're nightmares, they are really horrible right? Lots of fire, lots of destruction and death… Like the end of the world?" she questioned carefully. Hank just nodded, looking a bit intrigued. Suzie watched him carefully as she spoke, wanting to be able to anticipate his next moves as she was carefully bringing him the message.

"Hank," she said softly, her eyes never leaving him. "The things you're seeing in your nightmares _are_ about the end of the world."

She was quiet for a moment, letting the message sink in. Hank just kept staring at her. He looked at her with this strange questioning look like he didn't fully comprehend what she was saying to him.

"What?" he asked dully. It didn't make any sense to him. He was seeing the end of the world? Why was that? How?

"Ever heard of the Apocalypse, Hank?" Suzie asked him.

Hank nodded.

"It's in the Bible, right?" he asked. He wasn't religious, well, not anymore. He had stopped believing in God a long time ago. He was pretty sure that there wasn't a God and even if there was one, Hank was convinced the guy was too preoccupied with other stuff to care about what happened on earth. What happened to him.

"Yes," Suzie answered, glad to get some reaction. "It's described in the last book of the New Testament: the Book of Revelation. I'm actually surprised you've heard of it, Hank. I thought you didn't believe whatsoever."

"I don't," Hank answered in a gruff voice. "But that doesn't mean I don't know anything about it. My parents were very religious. They read the Bible to me a lot when I was a kid."

Suzie just nodded but remained silent. She wasn't really sure how to continue from here. She actually hoped Hank would put two and two together and figure out on his own what she was trying to say to him, but she feared that she would have to spell it out for him, word for word.

"What exactly are you saying to me?" Hank asked a little incredulously. "Are you saying I'm seeing the Apocalypse in my dreams? Why the hell is that?"

"Hank," Suzie sighed and for one brief moment she looked away from him. She had no other choice but to just blurt it out to him. She could go around in circles, hoping he would get the hint, but she knew he just wouldn't get it. It was going to be ugly. She turned to face him again and continued.

"God is real. Everything you've ever read in the Bible, everything that's ever been read to you from the Bible is true. And right now the end of the world is hanging over our heads and you're the only one who can stop it."

Again, Hank just stared at her. His eyes went wider than she had ever seen them and for a moment Suzie was afraid he was going to have a heart attack. Then, to her surprise, Hank started to laugh. He laughed harder and harder, until tears streamed down his face. He nearly fell from his chair, he had to steady himself or he had fallen flat on his face on the floor.

Suzie looked at him sternly. She was not amused. She just told him the real reason for his nightmares and he obviously thought it was the funniest thing he had ever heard.

"You… You're joking, right?" he asked as he had his laughter a bit more under control. "You've got to be joking. No way in hell this is true. It's funny though! You really had me going for a moment. Gotta give ya that!"

Suzie had enough. She stepped forward and slapped Hank hard in the face. He immediately stopped laughing and shot up from his chair in anger.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he asked venomously. "You're not getting away with that."

"You're not listening to what I'm saying!" she shot back. "I'm not joking, Hank! I wish I were! The nightmares you're having, ain't nightmares! They're visions. They're showing you what the future will be like if we won't do something!"

"Yeah right," Hank hissed, "and you really expect me to believe all that crap? That God wants me to save the world? He never listened to word I said to him and now he's expecting me to listen? To believe? Damn him! Damn him to hell! You're lying to me, that's what I know. I want you out of here. Get your things and go!"

He was fuming with anger. His eyes shot daggers at her and for the first time she seemed genuinely afraid of him. Or was it disappointment he saw in those gorgeous eyes. She nodded softly. He wasn't going to listen to her. At least not right now.

"I'll be up in my room," she whispered as she tried to walk past him. He grabbed her arm, however, and forced her to look at him.

"I want you out of here," he said once more, his eyes colder than she had ever seen them. She swallowed and nodded. He let her go and she quietly walked towards the door.

"I'll get my stuff," she said softly, her back towards the barkeeper. She stopped in her tracks and stood still for a moment. Then she turned around slowly and looked at Hank with compassion and sadness.

"Those nightmares aren't going away you know," she told him carefully. "No matter what you believe right now."

Then she turned around and headed towards her room to pack her things, leaving a still fuming Hank behind. She knew it was a lot to take in, even for someone who did believe. She could only imagine what it would be like for Hank. At least he had something to think about now. And she wouldn't be far away, she would make sure of that. She wouldn't leave town and she would watch Hank like a hawk. Because the Apocalypse was coming. It was a fact. And only Hank could stop it…

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** Hank Lawson's Revelations

**Author:** LovelyLène

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything, except for the storyline. Beth Sullivan owns the characters of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. I'm just taking them out to play…

**Rating:** PG-13 / T so far.

**Warnings:** My take on religion. It's not my intention to offend anyone. It may sound a little familiar to some people, so I confess: Yes, watching "Eli Stone" and "Supernatural" inspired me. Oh, and English is not my native language. My apologies if there are mistakes. There probably are…

**Genre:** Drama / Humor / Supernatural.

**Summary: **Hank receives a special gift, which appears to be quite divine. However, Hank is far from pleased with it and considers it a curse, as his life is turned upside down because of it. Will he eventually be able to cope? Will he be able to accept this gift, give in to it and fulfill his divine destiny?

**Author's Note: **The second update in 1 week! How's that for a record? LOL! Okay, this chapter is a bit longer than the previous one. I wanted to split it in two because of it and because of the great amount of information it is containing, but I have no clue where to split it. It may be a bit rusty and a bit chaotic. I apologize for that. Some things may not make sense yet, but I'll try my best to make it all more clear in upcoming chapters. Please bear with me! Oh, and please don't hesitate to review or ask questions. At least then I know I still have some readers, lol!

**Chapter 8**

Hank didn't sleep that night. Suzie's words haunted him, nearly drove him as mad as his nightmares did. Or should he say 'visions'… According to Suzie his nightmares were actually visions. Visions of the future. How was that even possible? He never believed in that stuff. Psychics, people who claimed to be able to talk to ghosts. Freaks, that's what they were.

_Freaks…_

Was he a freak now? Hell no. His nightmares weren't visions. There was no such thing. But then where did his nightmares come from? Why did he have them and why didn't they go away? No matter what he did, they just didn't go away. Every night, every day, they were there and every time they got stronger, more vivid, like they were trying to tell him something.

Like visions…

_Visions…_

Could Suzie have been right? If she had been right, then how did she now? How did she know about his nightmares anyway? She knew details. She knew what he had been seeing in his nightmares. She knew about the fire and the complete destruction of this town. She knew about the deaths…

It was giving Hank a migraine. He had more questions than before he had demanded Suzie to explain it all to him. And when she had finally told him he had just laughed at her. He had laughed at her so hard. He seriously thought she had been joking. Instead, she had been dead serious. She had been more serious than she had ever been and it had feared him.

The sincerity she had shown, had scared him to death. She hadn't been lying. Maybe it hadn't been the truth either, but she definitely had believed every word she had been saying to him. And it had terrified him. It had terrified him more than the nightmares ever had. And he had sent her away. He had sent Suzie away…

He had done it in a moment of anger. In a moment of fear. Now he was sitting on his bed thinking about the events that had happened a few hours before. He was thinking about everything Suzie had said to him and how he had reacted to it and he couldn't help but feeling a bit of regret.

Right now, she seemed to be the only one able to help him; the only one willing to help him and he had told her to get out. He may not believe a word she had been saying, but it was the only thing he got right now. He couldn't think of any other explanation, absolutely none. The only one he did have was the one Suzie had given him and she apparently knew a whole lot more than what she had told him. She probably would have wanted to tell him a whole lot more but he hadn't let her. He had thrown her out before she even got the chance.

Hank sighed deeply. What was he going to do? Right now, Suzie was all he got. Her explanation was the only thing he could hang on to right now, no matter how crazy the explanation sounded.

He stood up from his bed and grabbed his coat. He needed to find Suzie. If he was ever going to find out what was happening to him, she was definitely the place to start. He just hoped she still wanted to talk to him after everything he had said and done to her last night.

He made his way downstairs and opened the doors of the saloon to get outside. He nearly tripped over something in his rush and stopped dead in his tracks when he realized what it was. Or rather who it was…

"Suzie," he said surprised. "I thought ya were long gone…"

She sat on one of the steps of the short stairs that led from the saloon to the main road and looked up at him.

"Well, I would be if I had somewhere to go," she answered casually, looking a bit annoyed. Then she shot him a brilliant smile and said:

"Besides, you need my help and I knew you would figure that out sooner or later. Thought it would be later though… I'm surprised."

"Don't get too excited," Hank grunted. "I still don't believe most of what ya said to me."

"Then why are you here?" she asked a little confused.

"Because yer all I've got right now," he answered simply. They both remained quiet for a moment, not really knowing what to say. It was an awkward situation for the both of them. Hank needed help, but the only one willing to give it to him was talking nonsense in his opinion. Suzie wondered how this was ever going to work. He didn't believe her and he probably never would unless some hard facts, hard evidence would be presented to him. And that wasn't going to happen anytime soon, she knew, until it was already too late.

"Get inside," Hank grumbled as he held the saloon door open for her. She stood up from the steps, grabbed the two bags she had been carrying and went inside.

"Sit down," Hank commanded again as he followed her in. He walked towards the bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey.

"Don't you want to go to sleep first?" Suzie asked. She didn't know what time it was exactly, but it had to be the middle of the night. Maybe it was already early in the morning. She sure was dead tired and she could see Hank was too.

"Can't sleep," Hanks commented, "Especially not now…"

Suzie sat down at a table and Hank joined her a couple of seconds later. They looked at each other for a moment, both a little nervously.

"Okay, what do you know?" Hank asked. He couldn't take the silence much longer so he decided to break it. Not that he actually wanted to know the rest Suzie had to tell him. Sure, he was curious, but at the same time it terrified him. What if it was all true? Could it be? No, it couldn't be… right?

"You really want to know?" Suzie asked incredulously. She knew Hank well enough to know that he didn't care about religious stuff. He didn't want anything to do with it. To him, it was a bunch of crap, a fairytale once made up by a few men to keep the rest of mankind in line.

"Not really," Hank answered as he downed his whiskey in one swallow. "But I'm curious and I can't get it out of my head. Maybe if you'd tell me the whole story it will make sense or, hopefully, it will confirm that you are beyond a doubt insane."

Suzie snorted. So she was the insane one now? She wasn't the one dreaming about the end of the world three times a day.

"You know Hank," she said as she leaned a bit forward, "just because you can't make sense of something, or can't understand it, doesn't mean something isn't true or isn't real."

Her blue eyes bored into his and once again it chilled him to the core. He looked away for a moment. He simply couldn't stand her eyes. Loved them because of their beauty, but hated them because they seemed to be able to see everything, to see right through him, able to see his soul.

"Just tell me," he said annoyed when he finally looked back at her. "What do ya know?"

Suzie was quiet for a moment, like she was earlier that night when she was about to tell Hank that his nightmares were actually visions of the future. She had a hard time deciding how she was going to bring her story to a non-believer. She knew exactly how insane it all sounded. And if _she_ already thought it sounded crazy then what would Hank think? However, he asked for it didn't he? He wanted to know, so she'd better tell him everything. And when she was finished he could always kick her out again if he wanted to. At least she would have tried her best, and what more could she do? She couldn't force someone to believe. Free will was to be treasured.

"Okay, so your nightmares are visions," Suzie started, basically repeating what she had already said earlier that evening.

"You've said that already," Hank retorted grumpily. "Why?"

"Because you're a prophet," Suzie answered softly. Hank couldn't help but chuckle sarcastically. This was beyond a doubt the weirdest story he had ever heard.

"I've been called a lot of things sweetheart," he answered, "but a prophet has never been one of them. I'm far from holy, sort of speak."

"Maybe," she answered, "but obviously God doesn't care. He obviously thinks you're right for the job, so who are we to question Him? God loves all his children, you know…"

"Yeah," Hank mumbled, "he has a weird way of showing that…"

"Oh please, can't you just get over yourself?" Suzie exclaimed in annoyance. "So you feel like God has abandoned you. Boo-hoo! Maybe you didn't want to hear what he had to say! Maybe you just didn't listen! Whatever it was it doesn't matter now. You're chosen to stop the Apocalypse and that's what you'll have to do whether you like it or not. Those visions, or nightmares like you call them ain't gonna leave. Not unless you die, or unless the world ends, or, which is the best option in my opinion, unless you save the world!"

Hank's eyes shot daggers at her. How dared she talk to him like that? And why did he let her? He clenched his fists, while his blood was boiling, however, he couldn't allow himself to lose his temper. Not right now. After she was finished talking then he could let go.

"So, what yer saying is that God is real and that he gave me visions to save the world?" Hank summarized, his tone slightly annoyed since he really had trouble believing it all.

"Everything is real, Hank," Suzie said, completely ignoring the fact that Hank was fuming at her. "God is real, angels are real, the Devil is real. And right now they're all playing their parts in destroying the world."

"The Devil is real?" Hank asked his eyes going wide. God was one thing to believe in, but believing that there was a man out there with horns and a tail, that really was insane.

"If God is real, then why can't the Devil be?" Suzie asked. Hank just snorted and tried to suppress a grin.

"What?" Suzie asked, realizing what Hank must be thinking. "He doesn't have horns and a tail, you know. He looks just like us really. Like you even. Just a man, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He's quite a looker if you ask me."

Hank looked at her in disbelief. Was she messing with him now? He was too stunned to ask her anything. Too stunned to even make a snarky remark.

"Let me tell you a little background story," Suzie said with a smile. "Once upon a time there was a father who had four sons. They were called Michael, Lucifer, Raphael and Gabriel."

"The archangels," Hank said as he leaned back in his chair. Suzie nodded.

"Yes, the archangels," she repeated a little impressed. Hank definitely knew more than he let on. "They were a happy bunch once. They loved each other more than anything. There was nothing they wouldn't do for each other. They cared about each other like brothers are supposed to care about each other. Michael, the big brother, made sure his little brothers were okay at all time. He wasn't called "the Protector of Heaven" for nothing. They grew up, all practically raised by Michael and they all turned into great archangels, all with their own specific jobs. They lived in prefect harmony with each other for a long time, until… until God decided to create mankind."

Suzie eyed Hank carefully as she spoke. She was afraid he would laugh at her again, like he had done earlier that night, but to her surprise he didn't. He actually looked genuinely interested en intrigued by her story, so she decided to continue.

"Mankind was God's most favorite creation. Of all the things he had ever created, mankind was the one he was most proud of. With that creation all the archangels got an extra task: love mankind and watch over all the souls out there. Michael, Raphael and Gabriel obeyed. Who were they to disobey their father? Who were they to disobey God? However, Lucifer did not care about mankind for one second. From the moment God had created them, Lucifer had studied them and he hadn't liked what he had seen. They were flawed. They didn't make sense. They made the stupidest choices and they hurt one another without even realizing it. Or worse, they hurt each other on purpose. Mankind was going to destroy the world. Mankind was going to ruin this most beautiful place, of that Lucifer was certain. So he refused to love mankind. He refused to watch over them and protect them. He didn't want anything to do with them, so he chose to disobey his father for the first time in his existence."

Again Suzie studied Hank's face. The anger was long gone and had made place for curiosity. He was definitely interested in what she had to say, which pleased her very much. Who would have thought the barkeeper would turn out to be so open-minded? Or maybe he thought she was just a good storyteller. She couldn't decide just yet which one of the two it was.

"God was furious of course," Suzie continued. "Never before had one of his sons or daughters turned against him. No one had ever defied him and now his own son, the son he loved most, was refusing to obey him. It pained Lucifer that he had to do this to his father, but he simply couldn't do what his father had asked him to do. He couldn't give his love to something that didn't deserve it. He just couldn't…"

"It was the first time that peace was heavily disturbed up in Heaven, and Lucifer was the one to blame. God gave Lucifer a choice. He either obeyed or he had to leave Heaven and spend the rest of his entire existence in Hell. Lucifer didn't let himself be threatened like that. He would never obey, but he wouldn't leave Heaven, which was his home, either. A war started up in Heaven. God's army, led by Michael fought against Lucifer, who had an army of his own. There were lots of angels who agreed with him and decided to help him. However, God's army was bigger and stronger. Michael and his angels defeated Lucifer and his army and were able to throw them out of Heaven and into Hell, where they would have to spend eternity."

Suzie watched carefully how Hank was processing everything she said. He seemed to buy it for now, but she wasn't sure whether he really believed it.

"Anyway," she said, deciding to wrap the story up for now, "ever since Lucifer has been trying to get out of Hell. He never came close to succeeding, but apparently now he has found something that could get him out. We just don't know what it is yet."

"You mean God can't tell?" Hank asked in disbelief. If what she was saying was all true how could God not know what was going on? And what was it exactly what he wanted from Hank? If God didn't even know then how the hell should he?

Suzie shook her head.

"God is not all-knowing," Suzie answered. "I know that is what people believe but it simply isn't the case. Of course he knows more than us humans do, but even he has limits to what he can do."

"Then what does he want with me?" Hank asked visibly confused.

"Wait a minute," Suzie said, "are you really believing me now? I mean, you thought I was messing with you just a few hours ago."

"Yeah, I know," Hank answered while rubbing his face. "I just don't know what to think anymore alright? My mind can barely comprehend what you're telling me. But still, somehow, it all sounds logical as well, as crazy as it may sound. And that just… confuses me even more… It's a lot to take. And if what you're saying is really true and I have to save the world, well… excuse me if I'm gonna freak out for a moment…"

Suzie smiled at Hank's little confession. Hank wasn't usually all that open about his feelings, especially not when it concerned feelings of love or fear. No way in hell he would ever admit to anyone he was scared. That would definitely ruin his reputation forever. However, he just basically confessed to Suzie that the whole situation was indeed scaring him and she could definitely understand that. It scared her as well. More than anything really.

"I understand," she said softly as she shot him a sympathetic smile.

"So, what does God want with me," Hank asked reluctantly, repeating his previous question.

"God's been giving you his visions," Suzie answered.

"His visions?" Hank wasn't sure he understood that.

"Like I said," Suzie explained, "God isn't all knowing, but he does have these visions sometimes. Glimpses of the future. He's been sending them to you."

"Why? What the hell can I do what he can't?" Hank asked a little frustrated. "Why can't he work it out?"

"Oh, he can work it out perfectly," Suzie answered, "but it isn't all as simple as it seems. When Lucifer was cast out of Heaven, peace was heavily disrupted. The remaining angels took sides and the three remaining archangels didn't trust each other anymore. They were a torn family and nothing was left of the peace and quiet they used to know. The feelings of love they had felt for each other for thousands of years had changed into hate and distrust. The heavenly family was falling apart and no one really knew how to fix it. Eventually God decided to leave Heaven himself, because he just couldn't bear seeing his sons and daughters that way. No one's ever seen or heard from God again. Until some angels picked up on your visions."

"I still don't understand," Hank asked. "Why can't God fix this himself?"

"Several reasons, I suppose," Suzie answered. "I know God was devastated how things had to end with Lucifer. He held on for a couple of centuries, but after his son Jesus was murdered he left and was never seen again. God was disappointed with mankind. It was his most beautiful creation, but in the end it didn't turn out as great as he thought it would be. Still, I also believe he still has faith in mankind, that's why he's giving you his visions. He wouldn't do that if he didn't believe we could save ourselves."

"Why didn't he just say this to me?" Hank asked. "I mean, why keep me in the dark and nearly drive me insane? I would never have guessed this. Not ever!"

Suzie snorted.

"Yeah, I know," Suzie answered with a smile. "It's what I told some of the angels. The thing is Hank; God can't talk directly at humans. If he would it would kill you. Your head would explode and don't ask me how I know that. Lets just say Adam and Eve weren't exactly the first humans on earth. He doesn't even talk to most of the angels. Only a few are privileged to hear his voice and those are the archangels. And only one of them was allowed to talk to humans, to bring the message of God. The thing is, the one who used to be the bringer of God's messages has left the building as well. And he has hid well, like God himself."

"Gabriel?" Hank asked. He remembered some stories from the Bible in which the angel Gabriel talked to humans in order to bring a message from God.

Suzie nodded.

"Yes, Gabriel," she confirmed. "It has always been his job to be God's Messenger, like it always has been Michael's job to defend Heaven. But with him gone, God's message won't reach mankind anymore."

"Then why not send out another angel?" Hanks asked angrily. What was up with all those stupid rules?

"Angels aren't allowed to interfere," Suzie answered. "It's a rule God created after Lucifer's disobedience. He was afraid more angels would try to hurt his creation so he set up this rule that an angel simply can't get in touch with a human being. And if an angel would even try to talk to a human or try to hurt him, God would clip his wings and send him to Hell. Only Gabriel was allowed, since it was his job. And even he had rules to live by. He was only allowed to get into contact with human beings if God told him to. He couldn't just meet with them on his own account."

"Why all these rules?" Hank sighed. "I mean, look what a big mess it is because of them."

"New rules are always made up after there's been a war," Suzie answered, her face as serious as ever. "They are made up because you basically want to avoid another war. You don't want it to happen again. The thing is, wars all over the world have been started over the silliest things. No rule can prevent that. And God learned that the hard way. That's why he eventually left."

"You said there are still angels around and that they are working on this… How?" Hank asked.

"Archangel Michael picked up on your visions," Suzie answered. "He's been the big boss upstairs sort of speak, ever since God left. And Michael has always been the closest thing to a God Heaven's ever had, besides God. He took it upon himself to take charge of things, so he and the other remaining angels are trying to find out what Lucifer is planning. However, since your visions are a gift from God himself, even Michael isn't able to see every detail of them, not the way you get to see them, so basically they're all still in the dark."

"So it really is all up to me then," Hank concluded, obviously not pleased. "Bloody fantastic…"

Suzie smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. She hated it all just as much as he did, but what else could she do? All she could do was help him through it and pray to whoever wanted to hear it that Hank could pull it of.

"So, can we go to bed now?" she asked. She was dead tired and she could tell Hank was too. However, she doubted he would be able to get some sleep, now that he knew the truth about his nightmares.

"No," he answered and he looked her straight in the eyes. Those big, blue eyes he loved to hate and hated to love. "I have one more question. How do you know all this?"

The question caught her by surprise, although she knew it was an inevitable question. Of course Hank would wonder how she knew all these details. Most things she had told him weren't written in any Bible. She sighed deeply, knowing that answering this question would only raise more questions for Hank. It would also bring up bad memories. So many bad memories… But did she really have a choice? Hank deserved to know everything, considering the position he was in. So she looked back at him, her blue eyes finding his icy gaze and she answered:

"I used to be an angel…"

TBC

Reviews, comments, questions etc. are more than welcome! :-)


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** Hank Lawson's Revelations

**Author:** LovelyLène

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything, except for the storyline. Beth Sullivan owns the characters of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. I'm just taking them out to play…

**Rating:** PG-13 / T so far.

**Warnings:** My take on religion. It's not my intention to offend anyone. It may sound a little familiar to some people, so I confess: Yes, watching "Eli Stone" and "Supernatural" inspired me. Oh, and English is not my native language. My apologies if there are mistakes. There probably are…

**Genre:** Drama / Humor / Supernatural.

**Summary: **Hank receives a special gift, which appears to be quite divine. However, Hank is far from pleased with it and considers it a curse, as his life is turned upside down because of it. Will he eventually be able to cope? Will he be able to accept this gift, give in to it and fulfill his divine destiny?

**Author's Note: **This is my favorite chapter so far. To those who watch "Supernatural": Gabriel may sound a bit familiar. I am totally in love with Richard Speight Jr's portrayal of the angel Gabriel and I just can't help but see him when I try to picture Gabriel. So yes, I used his Gabriel as an inspiration. I have given him his own story though.

**Chapter 9**

The view never ceased to amaze him. Of all the places he had ever visited in his existence this one was the one that had amazed him most. That amazed him still. He stood there, on top of the Mount Everest looking down at the everlasting blanket of snow that seemed to cover the world from where he was standing. He always came here to think. There was hardly any sound up here. It was so peaceful and quiet at the top that his troubled mind came to rest almost as soon as he got there.

He sat down, leaning against a pile of snow and closed his eyes. He breathed in the thin air, even though he didn't really need to breathe. He just loved the act of breathing, letting fresh cold air into your body and exhale it again which would send a relaxing vibe through his whole body. He felt his mind settle down, his worries fade, even if it was only for a while.

He knew very well that his worries would never really go away. The emptiness he felt, the pain, it would never become less, no matter what people said. The pain he had been feeling for centuries, for millennia.

Nothing could take away the emptiness he had felt ever since Lucifer had been cast out of Heaven. Lucifer, his brother, his beautiful big brother to whom he'd always looked up to. Ever since, he'd had this aching hole in his heart, in his grace, and it hurt so much he just wanted to die. Stop existing. However, no matter how miserable he felt, he couldn't take his own life. He wouldn't take his own life. He couldn't do that to his brothers and sisters, or to his father, whom he blamed for the whole situation. He probably could do it. He had been away from home for so long that no one would probably even remember him. He could take his own life and no one would even notice. No one would even care. But deep down inside he held on to the tiny bit of hope he had that his family still cared about him, the way he cared about them.

He looked down again while he let his hands wander in the snow. It felt cold, but it didn't freeze him. It would never freeze him. In fact, it even melted under his touch, turning into water as soon as he touched it. It didn't make him wet though. He had superpowers, so he could dry himself up immediately.

He didn't just come here to clear his mind. He also came here often to cry. He missed the family he once had and knowing that things would never get back the way they used to be tore him apart. Knowing that the brother he loved so much was spending eternity in Hell and was most likely a monster by now still devastated him, even after so many years. He still wondered what made his brothers turn on Lucifer the way they had, how Michael had been able to throw his own brother into the gruesome depths of Hell. It brought tears to his eyes how things had gone so terribly wrong.

And he cried. He cried like he always did when he was on top of this beautiful mountain. Almost on top of the world. He cried for his brother, for all his brothers, for his father whom he hadn't seen for so long. He cried because of his own failure. He had failed to keep his family together and when things had gotten really bad he had taken the easy way out. The coward's way out. He had ran, like his father had done. He had been so angry with his father for leaving, for leaving them behind, for leaving _him_ behind and eventually he had done the same thing. He had left his family behind and had went into hiding. He couldn't watch how his own family was self-destructing. He just couldn't…

He let his tears fall freely and felt relief flooding his body as his burdens were temporarily lifted from his shoulders. Temporarily… The weight would be back in no time, but at least he would be able to carry it around again for a while.

When he had nothing left to give he wiped his tears and stared into the distance. He loved taking in the impressive view of all the mountains around him. It helped him calm down and relax and he felt peace wash over him and he couldn't help but enjoy that feeling for as long as it lasted.

And this time it lasted, which was strange, since usually the feeling was gone after a couple of minutes. However, this time the feeling remained and even grew stronger and stronger until… until he realized he wasn't alone anymore. He felt another presence; another powerful being and he couldn't help but curse himself for being found out. For centuries he had been able to hide. For centuries he had succeeded to stay off the supernatural radar and now someone had finally found him. He wasn't too worried though. He knew exactly who had found him. There was only one person, only one being in the entire universe that could make him feel like this and that was his father. A part of him was surprised that after all this time he still remembered how it used to feel to be around his father. But then again, who could forget a feeling like this?

Warm and peaceful, calm and loving. Pain disappeared like it had never been there as did the loneliness and the hate; the disappointment. It was a magical feeling, a feeling he didn't want to get rid of, but he knew he had to since it wasn't the truth. His father might be able to take those feelings away, but it didn't change the truth. And he wasn't going to lie to himself. He wasn't going to let himself be lied to. So he shielded himself from his father's warmth and let the pain back in again.

"So, you finally found your way home, huh?" he said as casually as possible, but his voice couldn't hide the disappointment he felt. "You must have gotten really lost."

He didn't look up, or around him. He knew he wouldn't be able to see his father anyway. Not his true form anyway, since that would destroy the whole mountain. He did notice the extra light beside him, which usually was the case when God decided to show himself on earth. Bright light, since the world wouldn't be able to take his true form. He watched how the snow on the mountaintop immediately melted under the bright light, even faster than it had done when he had touched some snow himself.

_Gabriel…_

God's true voice was like music to his ears. He hadn't heard it for so long, he had to force himself not to break into tears again. He thought it was a shame humans couldn't hear his father's voice, since it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard in his entire existence. He had longed to hear it again for so many centuries, craved for it, prayed for it, but the sound never came. Until today…

"I'm surprised you still know my name," Gabriel commented sarcastically.

_I know you're angry Gabriel…_

"Angry? Angry doesn't even begin to describe it," he answered while he desperately tried to ignore the beautiful and warm sound of his father's voice. He had to resist this time. He couldn't give in. Not after everything that had happened.

_I'm sorry Gabriel…_

"Damn right you're sorry," Gabriel spat, not caring it was actually God himself he was talking to. For a brief moment he looked to his side and looked up at the bright light that was his father. His eyes shot daggers and he knew he was playing with fire by doing that.

_Remember to whom you're talking to, son…_

The sound of his father's voice got a little angrier, a warning lying underneath the words that his father spoke, but Gabriel didn't care. His father could smite him for all he cared. At least it would end his pain and he wouldn't even have to do it himself.

"What, you're going to throw me into Hell too?" Gabriel asked. "I'll tell Luci you said 'hi'."

_Gabriel… I… I know I made a mistake back then… I should never have treated Lucifer the way I did… But there's nothing I can do about it now…_

"Yes, you can," Gabriel said coldly. "You just don't want to. You're God! There is nothing you can't do!"

_You know that is not true Gabriel. And we may have powers that are beyond comprehension, but that doesn't mean we can use them whenever we please. When things go wrong we can't just snap our fingers and make it go away like nothing has happened. We cannot abuse those powers like that. We will never learn when we do…_

"Learn what?" Gabriel asked a little bored and tired at the same time. He definitely was tired. He had been around for so long, carrying his burden around for so long, too long. He envied humans. At least their screwed up lives had an end eventually. His life just kept going and going, like a never-ending story.

_Learn about pain and love… about loss. Learn from our mistakes the hard way, like mankind has to. We are not any better than they are, Gabriel, especially not when we use our powers for our own selfish reasons._

"Learning about pain, huh?" Gabriel snorted. "That's rich coming from you… You were the one who eventually forbid us to feel anything! How can you learn about love and loss and all that when we are not allowed to feel anymore?"

_I learned from my mistakes too, Gabriel… I never should have created that rule. I just… I just didn't want another war to happen in Heaven, you must understand that._

"I do," Gabriel said softly. He did understand. He had always understood. But he had understood Lucifer as well. Maybe that had been his problem all along, that he understood everyone's point of view.

"Why are you here?" Gabriel asked, the tiredness evident in his voice.

_Lucifer is trying to get out of Hell…_

"Good for him," Gabriel commented dryly, "I've been wondering how he's been doing. Maybe we could have a little chat, like old times."

_It's not good and you know that… It isn't good for anyone. Lucifer won't be the brother you used to know. Far from it…_

"Yeah, and whose fault is that?" Gabriel retorted as he looked to his side again in anger. His golden eyes blazed at the bright light next to him, showing his father exactly how he felt.

_Gabriel… It is done… And I understand that you hate me now…_

Gabriel sighed and looked into the distance again.

"I don't hate you," he answered in a small, sad voice. "I could never hate you. But I do blame you for what happened to Lucifer. You, Michael and Rafael… And I blame myself, for nor doing anything about it. I just stood by and watched. And eventually I ran like a coward, just like you…"

_Gabriel…_

The sound of his father's voice was warm again and was full of compassion and forgiveness. The sound warmed his entire being, his grace and for a moment he wanted to embrace his father and go home with him. But home wasn't what it used to be anymore. Heaven wasn't his home anymore. Home is where the heart is, but right now his heart didn't belong anywhere anymore. Not even with God.

_I need your help, Gabriel. The world needs your help… If Lucifer rises, the Apocalypse will begin and the world will end._

"I'm not going to fight my brother," Gabriel said. "Please don't ask me that… And who cares that the world will end? Your humans are making a mess of it anyway…"

_Gabriel!_

His father roared, which was a nearly deafening and terrifying sound.

"Oh yeah, note to self," Gabriel mumbled, "don't touch the humans…"

_Don't you start too, Gabriel. Don't you turn on me as well. You once vowed you would love mankind and would protect all the humans on earth._

"Yeah well, I guess I've learned from my mistakes," Gabriel answered bitterly. Would this be the moment his father would finally smite him? Or would he throw him into Hell, like he had done with Lucifer millennia ago?

_Gabriel…_

The voice was warm again, there was no anger to be heard. However, Gabriel couldn't help but hear some disappointment in his father's voice.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Gabriel said and he sincerely meant it. He was sorry. "But Lucifer was right. Some of those humans are not worth being protected. Some of them aren't worthy of our love. And I know, there are some beautiful creations among them who do deserve it, but there are also a lot who deserve Hell a lot more than Lucifer ever did."

_Gabriel, if the world ends, it won't just mean the end for the ones who don't deserve your love, it will also mean the end for the ones who do… Can you live with that?_

"Can you live with what you did to Lucifer?" Gabriel asked. He looked up for a moment and then sighed. He could have this conversation like forever, but he knew his father wouldn't surrender. He would never surrender. He wouldn't change anything, even if the current situation pained him more than anything ever had. They too had to suffer the consequences of their actions. God had to suffer. Gabriel had to suffer.

"Alright, what do you want me to do?" Gabriel asked.

_I want you to help a man on earth. I've been giving him my visions. His name is Hank Lawson and he lives in Colorado Springs. He owns the local saloon. Your sister Suzannah is trying to help him already, but I guess she could use a little bit of angelic help. _

"What about the other angels?" Gabriel asked.

_Michael has them on a leash. He is ruling Heaven and his rules are more strict than mine have ever been. I can't trust him or any other angel with this._

"Then why don't you come home?" Gabriel asked his father.

_Why don't you?_

Gabriel looked down and closed his eyes for a brief moment. He didn't need to answer his father's question, since the answer was already clear. There was nothing left to go home to. God's return would only lead to another war, which would lead to more pain and destruction. Michael would never step down, not after God's absence for so many centuries. The angels would never accept it and it would most likely lead to another Apocalypse. And that was exactly what they were trying to prevent.

"It'll never be the way it used to be, will it?" Gabriel asked his father in a sad voice.

_I'm afraid not, Gabriel and for that I am so terribly sorry. But we can try to make the best of the situation. I have faith in mankind and in you. _

"You really think this guy can stop all this?" Gabriel wasn't sure.

_I do. And he won't be alone. If I know my humans well, they won't let him fight alone. They are my last hope Gabriel. My last hope that I have done at least something right in my existence. I made them so I know what they are capable of. They are capable of so much and it saddens me that Lucifer wasn't willing to see that. Mankind can stop the Apocalypse. If not, well… then I guess the world was doomed to end after all._

With that said the bright light disappeared and Gabriel was alone again. He ran a hand through his golden hair and sighed. After centuries of hiding he suddenly had a job to do. A job given by God. He wasn't really sure how he felt about that and what his part was going to be in it all. He truly hoped he wouldn't have to fight his brother. Any of his brothers really. Michael and Raphael wouldn't be happy if they'd found out about him. He had abandoned them and he was certain his older brothers weren't going to forgive him for that. It was going to be a tough time for sure. Not just for him, but also for the man he was sent out to help.

He stood up and shot one last look at the gorgeous view before him. It could be a long time before he got to see it again. If things went horribly wrong he'd probably never see it again.

"Well, Colorado Springs it is then," he said to himself. He spread his wings and disappeared, leaving the Mount Everest as he had found it, without any evidence he or his father had ever been there…

TBC

Please don't hesitate to comment! Just so I know people are still reading this and are still enjoying it. That's always good to know and it will motivate me to continue! Questions and constructive criticism are welcome too!


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